Why it works: Lettuce and cucumber match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,409 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Green-Pease Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the vegetables
Melt the butter in a large stew‑pan over medium heat.
Add the peas, shredded lettuces, sliced cucumbers, and sliced onions.
Cook until nearly fried.
Make the soup
Stir in the flour until smooth.
Gradually pour in the veal broth.
If using, add the ham bone for extra flavor.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Lettuce + cucumbertop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,409 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cabbage + lettucetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together622 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Peas + lettucetop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,293 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Peas + cucumbertop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together629 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cabbage + cucumbertop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together722 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, carrying flavor while the vegetables cook.
- Young green peas
- Provide the main body and a fresh, mildly sweet flavor.
- Flour
- Thickens the broth as its starch swells with heat.
- Veal broth
- Forms the liquid base and adds savory depth.
- Onions
- Add aroma and sweetness as they soften and brown lightly.
The step that matters
Gradually pour in the veal broth. Adding the broth slowly while stirring lets the flour disperse evenly, so the starch thickens the soup smoothly instead of forming lumps.
Flavor stand-ins for the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, peas, lettuce, cucumber, onion, flour, veal):
- Chivebetter flavor fit
- Leekbetter flavor fit
- Shallotbetter flavor fit
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, peas, lettuce, cucumber, onion, flour, veal. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Green Peas229 recipes
Red Cabbage65 recipes
Stewed Cabbage58 recipes
Baked Cabbage51 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.